TAKEDOWN

Jon Stewart of the "Daily Show", erstwhile pundit and historical illiterate, argues that Harry Truman should be considered a war criminal for authorizing the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II.

Bill Whittle takes him down - hard. Watch the video.

Then come back and comment.

Via Instapundit.

THE UNION SECEDES FROM TEXAS

Were it only true ...

In their press release (scroll down) celebrating 100 days of the Obama administration, State includes travel to Texas as one of their major foreign accomplishments:



Via Hot Air:

Secretary Clinton is already the most traveled Secretary of State in a new Administration. The Secretary’s trips have included her inaugural trip to Asia, the Middle East and Europe, Mexico and across the border to Texas, the Hague in the Netherlands, Europe with President Obama, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago with President Obama, and to Iraq and Kuwait.

State has apparently decided to give full diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Texas, helping Governor Rick Perry by mooting a need to secede.

To borrow a phrase from Instapundit, this country’s in the best of hands.

FIRST U.S. SWINE FLU DEATH

"I fully expect we will see deaths from this infection," Richard E. Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "As we continue to investigate cases here, I expect that we will see deaths in this country."

I heard Dr. Besser’s statement on the radio earlier this week ... he sounded almost gleeful.

Now it has happened. “The first U.S. death from the outbreak was a Mexico City toddler who traveled to Texas with family and died Monday night at a Houston hospital. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius predicted the child would not be the last U.S. death from swine flu.”

Do I detect a “See? See? We told you so!” attitude on the part of our government panjandrums?

OBAMA'S 100-DAY PRESS CONFERENCE

President Obama held his 100-day presser last night. My thoughts from notes taken during the press conference.

Initial remarks:

PC enforcement - swine flu is now the H1N1 virus.

I thought we elected a President, not a Nanny-in-Chief.

He wants credit card companies to reduce fees and interest rates. Is this something really worthy of presidental interest?

Now to the questions:

(1) HEALTH CARE & (2) AUTO INDUSTRY - The government has a responsibility to the American people. My goal is to ... (stay in control).

(3) TORTURE & (4) TORTURE FOLLOW-UP - did the previous Administration sanction torture? Obama waffled; didn’t answer directly. His take - we could have gotten the information other ways. England didn’t torture the Germans during WWII (but neither did Germany torture the English - however imperfectly, both followed the Geneva Convention for POWs).

(5) SECURITY OF PAKISTANI NUKES - Asked if he would guarantee the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, he turned the question to non-military aid. Did make a veiled threat about U.S. military action within Pakistani borders.

(6) IRAQ TIMETABLE - nothing new.

(7) ARLEN SPECTER - nothing of interest.

(8) FREEDOM OF CHOICE ACT - Clinton-esque waffle; the usual safe, legal, and rare.

(9) SURPRISED/TROUBLED/ENCHANTED/HUMBLED - Obama used “humbled” to laud the military (they obey orders from their CinC).

(10) IMMIGRATION REFORM - A complete waffle; nothing useful said.

(11) HELP FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS - a bit of a surprise at the lack of direct pandering, but his answer could be read as “I’m helping the poor; all blacks are poor; so what are you complaining about?”

(12) STATE SECRETS - no surprise; state secrets are important when you are the state.

(13) SHAREHOLDER OF LARGE CORPORATIONS - soft fascism again; governtment control without ownership.

END NOTE: Again there were exactly 13 questions; and again the questioners were pre-selected from a list on the podium. Why did the other correspondents bother to attend?

TRUTH IN LABELING

“[Sen. Arlen] Specter switches to Democrat. Given how miserably he was doing in primary-polling against Pat Toomey, this is no surprise. Of course, this gives Obama a filibuster-proof majority.”

Only until the 2010 elections. But by then it may be too late.

SWINE FLU 24/7

On the radio driving to work this morning -- the 24/7 swine flu “pandemic” panic.

As of 8 am, WTOP radio reported 150 dead; 2,000 cases of swine flu in Mexico, with 150 deaths. In the U.S., there were 50 cases, with no deaths.

Hmm. From Wikipedia, an epidemic occurs when new cases of a certain disease substantially exceed what is "expected" based on recent experience; a pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through populations across a large region.

So, okay, I guess that in a strictly technical sense, swine flu could be called a pandemic.

But a pandemic requiring 24/7 Chicken Little "the sky is falling” coverage?

Umm, let’s see. Plain old ordinary winter flu kills roughly 36,000 people/year in the U.S. - roughly equivalent to 100/day, year-round. Heart attacks kill about 500,000 Americans annually, roughly 1300/day, every day. There are about 1,600 cardiac catheterizations performed daily in U.S. hospitals (two of them were mine).

And our factotums are obsessing over swine flu. What’s missing here?

NO APOLOGIES, MATE

In 2007, Prime Minister John Howard changed the name of the ministries of the Australian government. What had been the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs became the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Asked why, the former prime minister replied, “The whole idea of immigration is to make citizens. Multiculturalsim is a very confused credo.”

For an astonishing sight - namely, a world leader who refuses to make any concession whatsoever to political correctness - click here.

FELONY STUPIDITY?

Was the New York city flyover yesterday “felony stupidity?”

I would call this felony stupidity. This is probably not the right job for Mr. Caldera to be in if he didn't understand the likely reaction of the New Yorkers and the mayor. And while the White House have said they are furious, I think they have to look at whether or not this is the right job for Mr. Caldera.

I think this office is too important to have somebody who doesn't have the judgment to understand the impact of this. This was not necessary.

I wouldn't call it felony stupidity; I call it felony arrogance.

[Update] We now have felony stupidity, felony arrogance, and felony complacency (see comment). I'll go with commenter Stephen den Beste over at Transterrestial Musings:

If people had been told, they might have objected and prevented it.

That fits with the overall theme of Obama wanting what he wants, and not accepting anything that gets in the way of his getting what he wants.

Felony arrogance it is.

ONLY LITTLE PEOPLE NEED OBEY

“Laws and taxes are for us little folk, not the big fellas who run things. They’re too busy firing the heads of public corporations and expropriating more of your and your children’s wealth to bother with little stuff like that.”

I’ve noticed. Laws and ethical behavior are for little people.

Timothy Geithner
Steven Rattner
Dianne Feinstein
Nancy Pelosi
John Murtha
Chris Dodd
Jesse Jackson Jr.
Pete Visclosky
Jan Schakowsky
Joe Biden
Jim Moran
Charley Rangel
Barney Frank

The power brokers get a pass.

TEA PARTIES AND PUBLIC CHOICE

Here’s an interesting article on public policy making and the public’s “rational ignorance” of that policy making:

While the theory of public choice can be broadly applied, it is the ideas of "special interests" and "rational ignorance" that are useful in understanding last week's tea parties.

Here's an example of public choice at work. Let's say teachers could benefit by $2,000 each per year (in higher pay or benefits, smaller classes, etc.) from a piece of legislation currently under debate. But the cost per taxpayer averages just $15 per year.

The "special interests" (teachers and politicians) have substantial personal incentive to see that the bill is passed. Teachers, who benefit directly, will use time and money to lobby for the bill. And lawmakers will expect campaign contributions, votes or both, in exchange for their support.

But the taxpayer will remain "rationally ignorant" of the whole process. Why spend time even thinking about an issue when the cost is only $15 per year?

This is why government will tend to grow in excess of what a true democracy really wants. At least, it will grow until those $15 hits accumulate to such a level that people have finally had enough, and in a seemingly spontaneous eruption, the average voter finds the energy to fight back.

In the end, the Tax Day Tea Parties are a very interesting case study for public choice theory. Whether or not they suggest a shift in the political landscape is another issue. If government continues to grow and cost more, we would expect to see more spontaneous voter response.

I suspect that the public has awakened. I’ve spoken with a number of party-goers whose primary concern seemed to be the debt that will be left to their children (and grandchildren).

Via Instapundit.

SAVE THE WHALES

“A research vessel for the federal agency charged with protecting the endangered right whale hit one of the animals off the Massachusetts coast this weekend, cutting into the animal's left tail fluke with its propeller. Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the lacerations suffered by the animal in Sunday's accident did not appear to be life-threatening.”

Yes. We’re from the government and we’re here to protect you.

Unfortunately, the whales can’t say “Go away.”

TEA PARTIES IN THE NEWS

Mona Charen has an interesting column at Townhall.com:

One reporter, Susan Roesgen, who "covered" the Chicago tea party for CNN, was downright confrontational with attendees she interviewed, challenging a protestor who referenced Abraham Lincoln with "What does this have to do with taxes?" The man attempted to explain. But the reporter interrupted him. "Did you know that you are eligible for a $400 rebate? Did you know that your state, the state of Lincoln, gets $50 billion out of the stimulus? That's $50 billion for your state." She then tossed back to the anchor noting that "This is really not family viewing."

Founding Bloggers attended the Chicago tea party and shot its own footage of Rosegen continuing to argue with the protesters, which it posted in a YouTube video, preceded by the footage aired by CNN.

It was later reported that CNN forced YouTube to take down the version of Rosegen's performance and also removed at least one version of the Founding Bloggers video, even though it included footage shot by Founding Bloggers in which CNN obviously could have no copyright.

Now the Founding Blogger' video is back.



PowerLine comments:

It is hard to avoid the inference that in this case, CNN was motivated not by a desire to protect its intellectual property but by a desire to avoid embarrassment caused by the unprofessional performance of its reporter. In today's world, though, it just isn't possible to track down all copies of a video and suppress them, when the video relates to a matter of broad and legitimate public interest. That CNN is willing to make the attempt reveals something, perhaps, about its attitude toward the public's right to be informed.

CNN: “You have the right to be informed of anything we approve of.”

WE ARE SINKING DEEP IN DEBT ...

... Wheeee!

KINDERCARE FOR “ADULTS”

In the New York Times:

[I]t’s ... also important to consider how much money colleges have been putting into student amenities as well. When I visited my undergrad alma mater a few years ago, the chancellor pointed out that three buildings had gone up in the past decade or so that were each larger than any existing building on campus. There was a library, a convocation center (a multipurpose arena), and a huge student gym. The gym, he said, was a top priority because parents and prospective students increasingly think of themselves as customers, shopping for the most amenities ...

We’ve turned universities into indoctrination/day care centers for young adults ...

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The private sector (non-agriculture) unemployment rate is 9.8%.

What is the public sector (e.g., state and federal government) unemployment rate?

Glad you asked. It’s 2.8%.

DC TEA PARTY VIDEOS – PART III

And no protest goes without a counter-protest. Here’s a short segment.



What is amusing about this clip is just how close (in theme) the counterprotestors to the protest itself. “Tax work, not wealth” could be interpreted as the double-taxation of capital gains, once as corporate profits, and again as a distribution to the shareholder.

“Lower the minimum wage!” Well, I could take that to mean to put back the bottom rung on the ladder to success so that the unskilled have an easier time starting the climb.

The Left has no clue about economics.

DC TEA PARTY VIDEOS – PART II

The lady speaking is (I think) one of the organizers. This was taken near the end of the protest, after the security interruption. It was the first time I could get close enough to the podium to hear the speaker.



The crowd loved the "What comes after a trillion?" question.

I'll note one misstatement on the part of the speaker: a million seconds is 11-1/2 months, not years. But the rest is accurate.

DC TEA PARTY VIDEOS – PART I

Finally! Here is a vignette of the Tea Party held on Lafayette Square in Washington on April 15.

NEW IMMIGRATION POLICY

“The only surviving Somali pirate has arrived in New York, and judging by the footage, he's got the biggest smile we've seen this side of Susan Boyle after she finished singing .... Isn't this essentially importing criminals to our prison system? What, is this some obscure, previously unrevealed detail in Obama's immigration policy?”

Any bets he’ll be voting in the 2012 election?

SPENDING CUTS? WHAT SPENDING CUTS?

President Obama convened his first official Cabinet meeting yesterday. At the session, Obama ordered his agency heads to identify and shave a collective $100 million in administrative costs from federal programs in a budget of well over $3 trillion.

The Heritage Foundation responds: “Just how laughable is Obama’s latest stunt to try to maintain his “fiscal responsibility” credentials? This graphic might help:”



Don Surber has fun with the news:

[ABC White House correspondent Jake] Tapper to White House [Press Secretary] spokesbot Robert Gibbs: “You were talking about an appropriations bill a few weeks ago about $8 billion being minuscule — $8 billion in earmarks. We were talking about that and you said that that $100 million is a lot but $8 billion is small?”

The transcript is here.

Even Paul Krugman of the New York Times is having trouble with the latest “budget cut.”

“[P]retty soon, even here in Washington, it adds up to real money,” says the president.
Except, you know, really it doesn’t. Let’s say the administration finds $100 million in efficiencies every working day for the rest of the Obama administration’s first term. That’s still around $80 billion, or around 2% of one year’s federal spending.

And the media wonders why there were some 500 tea parties on April 15?